Instagram Swimsuits have failed me so many times. Looking at you, Summersalt and Andie Swim, with your promises of size inclusivity and very cute colors and SIZE CHARTS FULL OF LIES.
I found both brands totally lacking in boob support, and also inconsistent sized across styles. So be warned you have to order a lot to find anything that works i do have two bikini bottoms from Summersalt that did but brands ALSO have VERY tight return windows so those two pieces ended up costing me about five swimsuits in lost $$$. Sigh.
YES SUMMERSALT. That iconic one-shoulder suit you see all the time made my boobs lopsided in the most extreme way. The side with the strap offered some support; the side without, none. One breast was 6-8 inches higher than the other. After that I started inspecting the models on the site more closely, and you can kind of tell that THEY HAVE THAT PROBLEM TOO and the photographs that are chosen of them just happen to show their body in a pose where it isn’t super obvious.
Yes it’s more like “you won’t need it with our special fabric because we assume you left your boobs at home.” And here I am, just bringing them everywhere with me…
Not to mention that there is no padding whatsoever! I should not have to sew pads inside a bathing suit at that price point just so I don’t have to worry about my nipples showing. 🤦🏼♀️
Summersalt +1 - and while the suits felt decidedly undersized, all cover ups and light dresses I tried were muumuu city (not in a good way). Also missed the return window and now it all sits in my closet taunting me.
OH HELL YES. Meet.Curve I'm looking at you. Horrible passive aggressive return policy (they say "email us to arrange your return" then they only respond every couple of days and try to get you to accept a partial refund in lieu of return and I'm convinced that the goal is to run out the clock on the return window). I've found a couple that work and more that don't and I am DONE DONE with them!
I have a good friend that is a size 0/2 in most brands like jcrew etc and she ended up in a 10 in summersault! The sizing is for sure off. So i
Imagine someone that’s a regular size 10 would be a 20 in their sizing. I tried to make an algorithm of what my size would be based on what her size was but it got
LOLing because I *just* (as in, literally 30 minutes ago) bought a Summersalt suit on the rec of a plus-size influencer whose recs I almost always trust... Fingers crossed the long-torso style will be a win!!!
I'm in a straight-size body, but my sister, who has Parkinson's and uses a wheelchair, needs help with her wardrobe and that has fallen to me. This is what that entails: I go to visit her and we talk about what she likes. (Bottoms in solid neutrals, preferably black; tops with stripes and polka dots.) I show her examples on my tablet and she gives a thumbs up or a thumbs down. Everything has to be a pull-on -- no buttons, no zippers. Everything has to be able to withstand institutional laundering. I have to order in multiple sizes, drop them off, have her try them on, then return what doesn't work. Last round, none of the pants worked because they were too long; my mom pointed out that I should probably be ordering "petite" pants. This reminds me -- I have to prep a return today.
I'm not complaining. I appreciate the knowledge that has brought to me, sad as it is. Just as fashion could do better by size inclusivity, it probably would find a lot of willing consumers with disabilities that limit their fashion choices. My sister loves clothes more than I do and still reads Vogue every month, knows what the trends are.
I'm sure the frustration is overwhelming! I just wanted to share that there is an online business that will switch out fasteners and specialize in adaptive clothing. https://sewnadaptive.com/
My other fail, which may be upsetting bc it’s a beloved plus brand, is Big Bud Press. Dacy reminded me yesterday that we tried their long-sleeved lavender jumpsuit -- in theory, exactly the kind of cute, comfy, colorful look I’d rock on book tour or anywhere! But despite meticulous parsing of the size chart, both sizes I ordered felt like climbing into a straight jacket. One wouldn’t even come up over my hips. I feel claustrophobic just thinking about it!
I find jumpsuits in general such a crapshoot. So much of whether it fits is about whether the specific design has anything to do with the reality of your torso.
Yes!! I see them held up everywhere as a great size inclusive example but I found their stuff to fit so poorly. I kind of thought I’d just had random bad luck, so it’s good to hear I’m not the only one
I am so sad about them-- I really wanted to be a BBP person but their pants are sized so weirdly that one size is super small and the next size up I am swimming in, and the waist to hip ratio is totally jacked up.......it is terrible.
YES! I have some pants and had to tailor to fit my thinner legs and wide waist:):) They don't have an apple-bodied fit model to be sure. Like, you can't just keep proportions the same as you size up your clothes!
Yes! I wanted to love Big Bud so much, but one size cut off blood to my labia, and the next one up was way too big. They also don’t seem made for longer torsos or hips
I'm on the high-end of straight-sized, but my most insane recent memory of fashion failing anyone happened three years ago. I took my then-11-year-old daughter to a local surf shop to buy her a boogie board and a bathing suit as an end-of-the-school-year/happy summer present. She is thin, or I would never have set foot in the place because I have fashion/body trauma from attempting to fit into clothing there in my early 20s and ripping stitches just trying to get the postage-stamp-sized sundresses and bathing suits over my boobs and ass. Anyway, daughter picks out a plain pink two piece, marked size 4, adult women's straight sizes. As she was ELEVEN!!!-- like, literally wearing kids' sizes 10-12 years-- I thought we'd maybe have to leave without a bathing suit and go elsewhere, since the surf shop didn't have kids' sizes, so everything would be a little big. So into the dressing room she went and the freaking bottoms were so tiny she couldn't pull them over her 11-year-old child's hips. And were somehow supposed to fit a grown woman?! Please make this make sense. Anyway, we left with a boogie board and hit the local Old Navy.
I could also, as could anyone my age (43), regale us with TALES OF THE LOW-RISE JEANS HEYDAY, but I think that's for another time...
One of my top frustrations is with the in-store Nordstrom experience. Before they remodeled to the branded stores within the store situation, they used to have a reliable (if small) plus section with a few elevated brands I could trust for decent workwear or dresses. Now, the only way to find anything to fit my body is to know going in which brands carry extended (without guarantees they’ll even carry it in that location) and it means discovering new brands or styles is either a totally exhausting or nearly impossible experience. I’ve asked sales people for ideas of places to look and been snottily told “I don’t think we have anything to fit you in the store.” Happy for their online expansion of course, but a pretty big bummer to lose one of the rare in-store opportunities to shop like a straight sized person.
Uffff, this reminded me of the time I (foolishly) wandered into an Eileen Fisher store in northern VA and the incredibly thin and petite saleswoman rushed over to 5'10" size 20 me and loudly exclaimed, "we now carry sizes to fit ALL BODIES" and I asked her to show me where...and there were literally 7 pieces of clothing. I wanted to do the Homer Simpson backing into a bush thing right there and then.
I have been on a years-long quest to find a pair of cut off denim shorts that 1) look chill and cool 2) fit my plush and luxurious thighs and 3) have an inseam/fabric weight such that any effort to wear the shorts and walk at the same time does not immediately result in every inch of leg fabric immediately calling a team huddle in my crotch. A couple weeks back I thought I hit on the pair at the Gap that would answer my prayers: an 8 inch inseam, good quality denim, and a leg style described in the customer reviews as “very relaxed” “extra roomy” “billowy,” even “comically large!” These are my watchwords! I hit “buy now” with a song in my heart, picturing myself wearing them on glorious summer walks and not having to reach up and yank down the leg holes every five feet. A few days later I pull them from the packaging and…listen, I don’t know who is writing these reviews but the legs on these things were skintight. Forget "extra-roomy" these weren't even room-regular. Getting them on and off was like fighting a pair of irate boa constrictors. My heart broke a little, and the search ( as well as walks full of leg hole yanks) continues with one eyebrow very skeptically raised towards the customer reviews…
Oh my, this could be me. I tried a Universal Standard curvy denim short, which is better, but it's a skinny leg -- a skinny Jean short? I can't wear them too long without chafing. Shorts are the worst for the butt gap where the fabric just gapes at the back (Gap, Old Navy, etc) but then rides up when I move. I feel like it should be this hard to find a pair of shorts that are comfortable and don't ride up any time I move.
I recently bought a pair of cutoff jean shorts from Nordstrom- they are from the Silver Jeans Co. They have straight and plus sizes, looks like they go up to 24W. From the size chart I was between 2 sizes so I bought both knowing Nordstrom’s generous return policy. They are awesome! Good length but not too long (maybe 5” inseam), lots of stretch so there’s no waist gap, and they hugged my own luscious thighs like a glove. No riding up yet! Might be worth a try.
I have big thighs, apple shape with a bigger waist-to-hip ratio than size charts would prefer, and I've had good luck with the Madewell relaxed fit denim mid-length denim shorts! They are a shorter inseam but because the denim is stiffer and not super stretchy they don't creep up. However, I do order them one or two sizes up from my jeans size there, meaning that they're even less size inclusive... but worth a try!
All maternity clothing. Through 4 kids in 8 years. All horrific tbh. Ugly or misshapen. All postpartum clothing which was either painful or just awful. All swimsuits. How come there isn’t a sturdy, sewn in bra, cross back non Speedo / TYR swim suit? I do not want a swim suit that drapes. I need something that holds everything together so that I can jump in the pool 50 times with my kids but also not look like I’m about to do a triathlon.
I got a couple of cute and practical suits for pool time with kids from Torrid a year or two back! I ended up loving the one that has long sleeves and a zipper up to the high neck to the exclusion of the more traditional one, because it means I don't have to worry about getting sunscreen on my own back.
fwiw, the most consistent luck I've had with swimsuits is lands end. they run good sales, though that means that I often don't get my first choice of color/style. I'd still pay more for something that fit even better, but, they are fine, which I'll take
I’m a competitive powerlifter, and finding clothes that fit my thighs and shoulders can be really tough! I’ve heard from my powerlifter friends in larger bodies that this becomes even more difficult when you are a powerlifter in a larger body. All bodies are excellent, but clothing brands do not take into account all the amazing variation that those excellent bodies have. I wish clothing brands made space for us to love any & all features of our bodies - I want to show off my shoulders, not minimize them, for example!! I’ve made a little space for that in my home by trying (and mostly failing) to sew a mildly custom pair of pants for my partner, who also lifts, but that shouldn’t be the kind of solution everyone has to resort to!! Thank you to Virginia and Corinne for writing about why the clothing industry is the way it is; it’s been super eye-opening and frustrating. I want better clothes for everyone’s bodies ❤️
This this this!!! I'm a genderqueer weightlifter and aspiring powerlifter and I always have to choose whether I want tops / jackets to fit my shoulders but have a weird sleeve length OR have normal sleeves but feel claustrophobic in the shoulders. And I want more masc clothes, but they don't fit my AFAB body right. And don't EVEN get me started on pants, all of which have not enough flexibility to accommodate weight fluctuations and/or muscle building. I am so tired of buying pants that don't fit a few months later, like why isn't this fabric more flexible? It's very frustrating to me that more clothes aren't built to accommodate bodies outside the gender binary.
“I wish clothing brands made space for us to love any & all features of our bodies”
Yes thank you!!!!! My body’s not perfect and I still don’t want a bathing suit that selectively “hides” or “enhances” (looking at you, Summersalt). I ended up getting great flattering functional bikinis from Title Nine
Friends recommend them to me because I also have impressively muscular thighs. Unfortunately they don't work for me because I am also Tall, and they've decided that every woman who lifts is 5'6" or less. (they also, of course, don't carry anything higher than a 33 which is a 34.5 inch waist?! WHAT?!)
I have tried Fran Denim, which is a similar concept, but wasn’t a big fan of the cuts or fabric available there or at Barbell. It’s such a shame, as you mentioned, that both brands don’t realize that lifters come in all sorts of shapes and sizes!!
Being plus size (2-3X) and tall is a major struggle. Since the demise of the one store is could reliably shop at - Long Tall Sally (may she RIP) - it is incredibly hard to find pants and sleeves that are long enough on clothes that fit me. Lands End and LLBean type stores have plus sections and tall sections…but never Tall Plus sections! Even Universal Standard who claims to fit every body has very little in the way of tall options. None of their inseams are long enough for me. Thank goodness for the return of cropped looks. Obviously swimsuits are a nightmare, but like winter coats and rain jackets too - the sleeves are almost always too short! I live in Canada and it is cold most of the year - save my wrists! Bless Columbia for outerwear with slightly longer than average sleeve lengths. If I didn’t have two young kids, I would be spending all my free time learning how to sew so I could simply make my own clothes.
Fellow long-limbed person - I’ve bought men’s sweaters, hoodies, coats for the arm length. Depending on the *body* length, having hips is sadly incompatible with some men’s coats coats. But that’s my “secret.” Also I want to pause for a moment to ask WTF is the current craze for 27” inseams??!!! LOL NO. And aren’t straight-sized models supposed to be tall?! How do they get them to look like normal pants on the models?!
I can't even get women's plus jackets and coats to fit my belly / hips when they fit everywhere else. Men's stuff is hopeless for me (or else awkwardly oversized everywhere else if it fits on the bottom).
Ditto here from a short plus size gal. Petite section. Plus section. But no petite plus section. Boo. I should add that I have short legs and a short torso. So shirts and dresses are challenges, not just pants.
Yes! I think I'm a little longer torso shorter legs, so I usually do just fine with length on pants, but I have sent SO MANY coats and jackets back because of unacceptably short arms. The whole POINT of a coat is to cover my arms. I did a mid-weight raincoat search last year and after returning about a dozen, found the holy grail in a Carhartt jacket of all things. A stupid number of very functional pockets, long enough arms AND a liner that had sleeves with thumb hooks!
I also read reviews for people complaining that the arms are too long and then I buy that!
Oh, you are singing my song. The number of "long-sleeved" shirts I have that look like a ¾-length or elbow sleeve on me is truly ridiculous. And every single pair of my jeans is too short. What really peeves me is that this was not a problem when I wore an 18! But now that I wear a 22, well, obviously how I got fatter was that some of my height got converted to fat, and so I obviously don't need that long inseam anymore *rolls eyes*
Hi from another tall plus size!! Pants I’ve just given up on forever lol. So much agree on coats and swim! I also wanted to get some superfit hero recently and their body suit was much too short sigh
How HASN'T fashion failed me? So many ways. I am GenX, so I was a tween / teen in the 80s, and in my 20s in the 90s. So back then in person shopping was about the only option, save catalogs, but those were definitely NOT fashion forward. I joke that I dressed like a middle aged lady as a teenager and 20 something, which was not what younger me wanted.
Now that I am a middle aged lady, I'm 100% team comfortable and soft, and my work clothing requirements have shifted from business (1990s) to business casual (2000s and 10s) to just make sure you have clothes on when you're on video (2020s) AND the landscape of available plus options has exploded, so I can usually find things I like.
But oh, the effort to find those things! I think I've bought exactly one item of clothing in person in the last 5 years (save a hoodie I bought to support my anti-diet, pro-fat trainer's gym!) which was jeans at Old Navy. This was in November 2021 before they started to back down on their commitment to plus sizes so I have no idea if I could find them in person again, but at the time I had no clue what size I'd wear and my beloved pair blew out a couple days before a trip where jeans were the perfect attire, so I went in person. It was actually a good shopping experience - SO RARE - in that Old Navy is (unlike most decent places with plus sizes) not far from home, and they have jeans that are at the waist and boot cut (GenX in the house). It was helpful that I'd built comfort in my own body that I did not attach any value to the number on the label. I took two sizes back and the larger one worked perfectly for my body (the jeans miracle). It's Old Navy so one of the pairs has already worn out but the other is going strong and at least they still sell the same jeans so I was able to replace them online.
All the rest of my shopping is online, and I've come to accept the fact that the time and hassle factor (and sometimes return shipping cost) of returns is just part of the experience. I figure I have a 50 mile round trip to get to the one mall in the burbs that has more than one place that has an okay variety of plus sizes, so that gas money (and time) becomes my online returns fund.
But back to dressing like a middle aged lady as a teenager - I did get to have a nice little fashion win last weekend. I often go to a weekly Fat Swim in Albany CA, and last week I wore a brand new two piece from Torrid. Oh how teenage/20something me would've loved Torrid, but hey, who says I can't wear it at 52? I took off the dress that I'd worn over my suit and a woman who was packing up her toddler from the toddler swim class that uses the pool before the Fat Swim group was walking by. "OMG I love your suit where did you get it?" Me: Torrid. Her [blank stare]: "Torrid?" Me: Torrid. Her "Oh I'll have to look for it!"
Now I'm notoriously bad at judging peoples' sizes, but I think she might be around the smallest size available at Torrid, but more likely in straight sizes. And I had a rare moment of "Hah, I have something that a straight sized person likes that SHE can't wear" to pay back for the thousands of "gosh I wish I could find something like that in my size" moments I've had over the years. Petty? Yep. But I figure I've earned a little petty.
I’ll also add that there are so few places to get a bra sizing in person. I feel like ten years ago, if you had a change in weight or shape you could go to a store and be sized by woman who really new bra sizes. Get a few great higher end bras that work for your body. But now it’s very hard to find that in person. Weight gain or loss, pregnancy, nursing etc all change your breast size but there’s not many places to get an expert to be like “omg you’re in the wrong size here let me fix this.” This is true for average bra size so even more complicated for larger size. But larger breasts all the more need a well fitting bra not to mention everyone deserves a pretty bra if that’s what you want. I remember a bra store employee tell me that if the only comfortable bra you have is a sports bra you have the wrong size bras. That’s me right now.
I feel like the variability of clothing across brands and even within brands across styles and even colors is messing with my ability to accurately assess what my body looks like. I wear a size 12 in Universal Standard jeans (of which I have several cuts and washes because I love them all so much), but a lot of other 12s don’t fit. In the stores we have in my town, like Old Navy and Maurice’s, I’m a 16 or maybe even an 18; at Maurice’s I tried on a pair of shorts in a 16 and it would not even button. I’ve been swimming in a size 10 Lands End bathing suit lately, which works great, but when I decided to buy a couple more because I’m swimming 4 days a week, the black and stripes one fit the same as my current one, while the navy one was uncomfortably tight. Same size, same style, different color.
So I’m over here going, what size am I actually? Sometimes I wear a medium shirt and other times the medium is so tight I need a large or extra large. All of it is fine, it just makes me look at my body and think, I must just not understand what my body is.
When I was younger, my mom worked in several sewing factories for women’s apparel. A few pieces of info have been very useful to me as I try to clothe my body. 1 - they cut fabric for pattern pieces in a big stack, a lot of pieces at a time. So not all the pieces of one size end up being exactly the same. So even in one size the actual pieces of fabric are not identical, which explains why two garments that are labeled the same size may fit differently. 2 - each worker would be required to make a certain number of each size of a garment. If they ended up with too many mediums and not enough larges, often people would just relabel a few mediums as larges. So sometimes when you’re picking out a size, it may not even be the size you think it is. Yay—even more levels of complexity when we’re just trying to find clothes to wear.
This makes so much sense, as I finally found the elusive pair of jeans that fit me well, so I ordered them in another color/wash, same exact size and cut as the first pair. I could barely get them over my thighs and couldn't button them! Then I got charged for the return >:(
YES. I have two pairs of the same Old Navy jeans, ones black, ones dark wash. The darkwash fits like it's one size smaller AND the inseam is about two inches longer. What is even happening?
Oh yes, that’s so irritating. Especially when you can tell that the different colors are a slightly different fabric. It will not behave the same! Which means it will fit differently! Ugh
Can we also talk about uniforms / team clothing? Not exactly fashion but a source of so much clothing angst in my life.
Childhood - I recall doing okay in finding uniforms that fit for my sports leagues, probably because they covered a wide range of ages, and so I could always get clothes sized for older kids if necessary. But by high school it all became a minefield.
Marching band uniforms: we had a room full of the uniforms, and at the beginning of the season there was the (then humiliating) try on days where we'd all work our way through the racks and see if we could find something close that fit, then there were parent volunteers who would help with basic alterations to get it closer if needed. One of the (many) reasons I quit before junior year was that I didn't want to go through that again as I knew I'd gained weight since the year before.
Symphonic band clothes: We had to provide our own. White long-sleeved blouse, full length black skirt. The blouses were findable (though I got a lot of guff from my mom if I needed a new one because I'd gained weight). But finding a skirt that fit - in the 80s - was a whole thing, and usually involved griping about the cost from my mom.
Event shirts: Once in my 20s I represented my company at a conference exhibit hall. I think we provided sizes in advance so at least they bought a size that I could wear but ugh, unisex polo shirts really don't do most fat bodies any favors.
Event swag: How many times have I gone to get my "free" t-shirt to find they only have up to XL? Or maybe they even have "women's" cuts but they're all babydoll style where the largest size is an XL that isn't close to the same size as an XL in a unisex style (which wouldn't fit me anyway).
And then one "event shirt" win - I used to go to an event every year. The organizers know me. I'm typically the biggest woman there. They'd have women's relaxed style and unisex shirts; I'd usually get a unisex 2X. One year, before I'd even had a chance to check in, one of the event staff came over to me and handed me a t-shirt that had a note attached with my name on it. He said "Rhonda said to make sure you got this." I opened it up and it was a women's 2XL! Rhonda, I should add, is a petite straight-sized woman, but she (who was the one ordering the shirts) made a point to 1) order a shirt that would fit me and be cut for a woman's body and 2) make sure it got set aside for me. I felt very seen!
Anthropologie's plus line has a mind of it's own when it comes to size. I love the pieces I own, but there is no rhyme or reason with the size charts, especially once you get out of 1X-2X-3X and into numeric sizes. And since the clothes typically aren't in the stores, it's all guesswork on what will fit.
With that said, I'll add a shout out to a brand that I wouldn't go near in its' heyday: Abercrombie and Fitch. Whoever is in charge there now is making steps toward being more size inclusive and while they have some distance to go on that, their current offerings are a good option for small-mid fat folks. Decent quality as well.
I feel like I have so many photos on my phone that are just hilarious sizing fails. Like this dress from old navy recently that looked SO cute in the ad, but tied at the boobs, and like 1/10th of my boobs fit in them. Or anything with a cutout on the side - why don't they look at actual bodies when placing the cutout!
Also, although most times I can put things on and crack up at how silly they look on me, I want to name how devastating this can be sometimes. I cried the other day because my local athleta pulled plus sizes from their stores, and along with pulling the sizes, pulled the fat mannequins.
Grr. I have never even tried to buy Athleta plus in store because I just assumed they didn't have them (or have much). I kinda wish I didn't like their stuff so much because of the wishy washy commitment to plus, but I figure my steadfast refusal to buy anything full price is a small form of protest.
Haha YES on refusing to buy things full price. They did a big roll out of plus in every store plus larger mannequins, and quietly pulled it (like old navy 🙃). Its so frustrating
REI has been my stealth Athleta plus clearance retailer. I don't think REI really made a big deal when they started offering some plus sizes (going along with the brands they sell finally starting to offer some) so they seem to sometimes end up with end of season surplus inventory.
I was looking for more of a type of Athleta legging I loved and Google took me to REI and they were on sale there. Since there's an REI store the next town over, returns are easy for me if needed.
My chest is very large in comparison to my waist and hip measurements. I try to use the measurement charts but it usually puts me at 3 different sizes for each body part. It is so frustrating but I am straight sized, and I really appreciate you opening my eyes to how much thin privilege I have despite this struggle. I am also postpartum and navigating my new/unfamiliar body shape that none of my clothes fit, and reading about your experience working with a stylist has me reflecting on my own clothing style. I can’t even identify it! For so long I’ve just bought shirts that fit my chest and just drape like a sack on the rest of my body - I was so conditioned to never try to have anything show the shape of my stomach. I’m not sure where my clothing style journey will go from here, but I appreciate your newsletter for making me start thinking about it (and for so many other reasons!).
Postpartum dressing is a whole thing. I'm still holding on to a lot of clothes from before having a baby that just don't fit my current body or lifestyle. I don't know why I'm holding on to them, maybe just because I know my body isn't done changing and maybe I'll want go wear them again? But in my experience no one talks enough about the potentially permanent body changes after being pregnant.
I agree - it really shocked me, especially after my second pregnancy. No one talks about it or at least it’s drowned out by the whole “bouncing back” narrative. I do the same thing with holding on to clothes, although reading things like this newsletter has made me more brave in slowing donating clothes that are too tight. They might fit again one day, but I am done trying to purposely fit into them and therefore don’t want them taking up space in my closet (or brain) anymore.
Instagram Swimsuits have failed me so many times. Looking at you, Summersalt and Andie Swim, with your promises of size inclusivity and very cute colors and SIZE CHARTS FULL OF LIES.
I found both brands totally lacking in boob support, and also inconsistent sized across styles. So be warned you have to order a lot to find anything that works i do have two bikini bottoms from Summersalt that did but brands ALSO have VERY tight return windows so those two pieces ended up costing me about five swimsuits in lost $$$. Sigh.
YES SUMMERSALT. That iconic one-shoulder suit you see all the time made my boobs lopsided in the most extreme way. The side with the strap offered some support; the side without, none. One breast was 6-8 inches higher than the other. After that I started inspecting the models on the site more closely, and you can kind of tell that THEY HAVE THAT PROBLEM TOO and the photographs that are chosen of them just happen to show their body in a pose where it isn’t super obvious.
The lack of boob support in the Summersalt suits is mind boggling. They say “you won’t need it with our special fabric”, but the floppiness is real.
Yes it’s more like “you won’t need it with our special fabric because we assume you left your boobs at home.” And here I am, just bringing them everywhere with me…
Not to mention that there is no padding whatsoever! I should not have to sew pads inside a bathing suit at that price point just so I don’t have to worry about my nipples showing. 🤦🏼♀️
Inconsistent sizing across styles is so maddening. It's like a roulette wheel of pain and disappointment.
AMEN
Summersalt +1 - and while the suits felt decidedly undersized, all cover ups and light dresses I tried were muumuu city (not in a good way). Also missed the return window and now it all sits in my closet taunting me.
Oh yes, I had several dress fails with them too!!
OH HELL YES. Meet.Curve I'm looking at you. Horrible passive aggressive return policy (they say "email us to arrange your return" then they only respond every couple of days and try to get you to accept a partial refund in lieu of return and I'm convinced that the goal is to run out the clock on the return window). I've found a couple that work and more that don't and I am DONE DONE with them!
Happened to me too!
I have a good friend that is a size 0/2 in most brands like jcrew etc and she ended up in a 10 in summersault! The sizing is for sure off. So i
Imagine someone that’s a regular size 10 would be a 20 in their sizing. I tried to make an algorithm of what my size would be based on what her size was but it got
Too complicated 😂
This is so good to know, because those ads really keep following me.
LOLing because I *just* (as in, literally 30 minutes ago) bought a Summersalt suit on the rec of a plus-size influencer whose recs I almost always trust... Fingers crossed the long-torso style will be a win!!!
I know one person (straight sized) with a summersalt suit and she LOVES it, so hopefully it works out for you!
I'm in a straight-size body, but my sister, who has Parkinson's and uses a wheelchair, needs help with her wardrobe and that has fallen to me. This is what that entails: I go to visit her and we talk about what she likes. (Bottoms in solid neutrals, preferably black; tops with stripes and polka dots.) I show her examples on my tablet and she gives a thumbs up or a thumbs down. Everything has to be a pull-on -- no buttons, no zippers. Everything has to be able to withstand institutional laundering. I have to order in multiple sizes, drop them off, have her try them on, then return what doesn't work. Last round, none of the pants worked because they were too long; my mom pointed out that I should probably be ordering "petite" pants. This reminds me -- I have to prep a return today.
I'm not complaining. I appreciate the knowledge that has brought to me, sad as it is. Just as fashion could do better by size inclusivity, it probably would find a lot of willing consumers with disabilities that limit their fashion choices. My sister loves clothes more than I do and still reads Vogue every month, knows what the trends are.
I'm sure the frustration is overwhelming! I just wanted to share that there is an online business that will switch out fasteners and specialize in adaptive clothing. https://sewnadaptive.com/
My other fail, which may be upsetting bc it’s a beloved plus brand, is Big Bud Press. Dacy reminded me yesterday that we tried their long-sleeved lavender jumpsuit -- in theory, exactly the kind of cute, comfy, colorful look I’d rock on book tour or anywhere! But despite meticulous parsing of the size chart, both sizes I ordered felt like climbing into a straight jacket. One wouldn’t even come up over my hips. I feel claustrophobic just thinking about it!
I find jumpsuits in general such a crapshoot. So much of whether it fits is about whether the specific design has anything to do with the reality of your torso.
Yes!! I see them held up everywhere as a great size inclusive example but I found their stuff to fit so poorly. I kind of thought I’d just had random bad luck, so it’s good to hear I’m not the only one
I am so sad about them-- I really wanted to be a BBP person but their pants are sized so weirdly that one size is super small and the next size up I am swimming in, and the waist to hip ratio is totally jacked up.......it is terrible.
YES! I have some pants and had to tailor to fit my thinner legs and wide waist:):) They don't have an apple-bodied fit model to be sure. Like, you can't just keep proportions the same as you size up your clothes!
Yes! I wanted to love Big Bud so much, but one size cut off blood to my labia, and the next one up was way too big. They also don’t seem made for longer torsos or hips
They have a bit of a reputation for poor sizing, which is a shame because their stuff is cute!
I'm on the high-end of straight-sized, but my most insane recent memory of fashion failing anyone happened three years ago. I took my then-11-year-old daughter to a local surf shop to buy her a boogie board and a bathing suit as an end-of-the-school-year/happy summer present. She is thin, or I would never have set foot in the place because I have fashion/body trauma from attempting to fit into clothing there in my early 20s and ripping stitches just trying to get the postage-stamp-sized sundresses and bathing suits over my boobs and ass. Anyway, daughter picks out a plain pink two piece, marked size 4, adult women's straight sizes. As she was ELEVEN!!!-- like, literally wearing kids' sizes 10-12 years-- I thought we'd maybe have to leave without a bathing suit and go elsewhere, since the surf shop didn't have kids' sizes, so everything would be a little big. So into the dressing room she went and the freaking bottoms were so tiny she couldn't pull them over her 11-year-old child's hips. And were somehow supposed to fit a grown woman?! Please make this make sense. Anyway, we left with a boogie board and hit the local Old Navy.
I could also, as could anyone my age (43), regale us with TALES OF THE LOW-RISE JEANS HEYDAY, but I think that's for another time...
Somewhere there is photographic evidence of me in my 20s rocking my 7even for All Mankind super low rise jeans and I live in fear of it surfacing
They were so awful! I maintain that the only person they ever properly fit was Paris Hilton. And Michele from Gilmore Girls.
One of my top frustrations is with the in-store Nordstrom experience. Before they remodeled to the branded stores within the store situation, they used to have a reliable (if small) plus section with a few elevated brands I could trust for decent workwear or dresses. Now, the only way to find anything to fit my body is to know going in which brands carry extended (without guarantees they’ll even carry it in that location) and it means discovering new brands or styles is either a totally exhausting or nearly impossible experience. I’ve asked sales people for ideas of places to look and been snottily told “I don’t think we have anything to fit you in the store.” Happy for their online expansion of course, but a pretty big bummer to lose one of the rare in-store opportunities to shop like a straight sized person.
Uffff, this reminded me of the time I (foolishly) wandered into an Eileen Fisher store in northern VA and the incredibly thin and petite saleswoman rushed over to 5'10" size 20 me and loudly exclaimed, "we now carry sizes to fit ALL BODIES" and I asked her to show me where...and there were literally 7 pieces of clothing. I wanted to do the Homer Simpson backing into a bush thing right there and then.
I have been on a years-long quest to find a pair of cut off denim shorts that 1) look chill and cool 2) fit my plush and luxurious thighs and 3) have an inseam/fabric weight such that any effort to wear the shorts and walk at the same time does not immediately result in every inch of leg fabric immediately calling a team huddle in my crotch. A couple weeks back I thought I hit on the pair at the Gap that would answer my prayers: an 8 inch inseam, good quality denim, and a leg style described in the customer reviews as “very relaxed” “extra roomy” “billowy,” even “comically large!” These are my watchwords! I hit “buy now” with a song in my heart, picturing myself wearing them on glorious summer walks and not having to reach up and yank down the leg holes every five feet. A few days later I pull them from the packaging and…listen, I don’t know who is writing these reviews but the legs on these things were skintight. Forget "extra-roomy" these weren't even room-regular. Getting them on and off was like fighting a pair of irate boa constrictors. My heart broke a little, and the search ( as well as walks full of leg hole yanks) continues with one eyebrow very skeptically raised towards the customer reviews…
Oh my, this could be me. I tried a Universal Standard curvy denim short, which is better, but it's a skinny leg -- a skinny Jean short? I can't wear them too long without chafing. Shorts are the worst for the butt gap where the fabric just gapes at the back (Gap, Old Navy, etc) but then rides up when I move. I feel like it should be this hard to find a pair of shorts that are comfortable and don't ride up any time I move.
I am immediately incorporating "plush and luxurious thighs" into my daily lexicon!!! LOVE IT
I recently bought a pair of cutoff jean shorts from Nordstrom- they are from the Silver Jeans Co. They have straight and plus sizes, looks like they go up to 24W. From the size chart I was between 2 sizes so I bought both knowing Nordstrom’s generous return policy. They are awesome! Good length but not too long (maybe 5” inseam), lots of stretch so there’s no waist gap, and they hugged my own luscious thighs like a glove. No riding up yet! Might be worth a try.
I have big thighs, apple shape with a bigger waist-to-hip ratio than size charts would prefer, and I've had good luck with the Madewell relaxed fit denim mid-length denim shorts! They are a shorter inseam but because the denim is stiffer and not super stretchy they don't creep up. However, I do order them one or two sizes up from my jeans size there, meaning that they're even less size inclusive... but worth a try!
All maternity clothing. Through 4 kids in 8 years. All horrific tbh. Ugly or misshapen. All postpartum clothing which was either painful or just awful. All swimsuits. How come there isn’t a sturdy, sewn in bra, cross back non Speedo / TYR swim suit? I do not want a swim suit that drapes. I need something that holds everything together so that I can jump in the pool 50 times with my kids but also not look like I’m about to do a triathlon.
I should say, I had these suits when I was straight sized. Cannot find them plus sized.
I got a couple of cute and practical suits for pool time with kids from Torrid a year or two back! I ended up loving the one that has long sleeves and a zipper up to the high neck to the exclusion of the more traditional one, because it means I don't have to worry about getting sunscreen on my own back.
I've had luck with Panache and Freya bathing suits for built in bras, but I'm pretty prissy. I think they do have some sportier cuts too
fwiw, the most consistent luck I've had with swimsuits is lands end. they run good sales, though that means that I often don't get my first choice of color/style. I'd still pay more for something that fit even better, but, they are fine, which I'll take
I’m a competitive powerlifter, and finding clothes that fit my thighs and shoulders can be really tough! I’ve heard from my powerlifter friends in larger bodies that this becomes even more difficult when you are a powerlifter in a larger body. All bodies are excellent, but clothing brands do not take into account all the amazing variation that those excellent bodies have. I wish clothing brands made space for us to love any & all features of our bodies - I want to show off my shoulders, not minimize them, for example!! I’ve made a little space for that in my home by trying (and mostly failing) to sew a mildly custom pair of pants for my partner, who also lifts, but that shouldn’t be the kind of solution everyone has to resort to!! Thank you to Virginia and Corinne for writing about why the clothing industry is the way it is; it’s been super eye-opening and frustrating. I want better clothes for everyone’s bodies ❤️
This this this!!! I'm a genderqueer weightlifter and aspiring powerlifter and I always have to choose whether I want tops / jackets to fit my shoulders but have a weird sleeve length OR have normal sleeves but feel claustrophobic in the shoulders. And I want more masc clothes, but they don't fit my AFAB body right. And don't EVEN get me started on pants, all of which have not enough flexibility to accommodate weight fluctuations and/or muscle building. I am so tired of buying pants that don't fit a few months later, like why isn't this fabric more flexible? It's very frustrating to me that more clothes aren't built to accommodate bodies outside the gender binary.
“I wish clothing brands made space for us to love any & all features of our bodies”
Yes thank you!!!!! My body’s not perfect and I still don’t want a bathing suit that selectively “hides” or “enhances” (looking at you, Summersalt). I ended up getting great flattering functional bikinis from Title Nine
Have you tried Barbell for pants?
Friends recommend them to me because I also have impressively muscular thighs. Unfortunately they don't work for me because I am also Tall, and they've decided that every woman who lifts is 5'6" or less. (they also, of course, don't carry anything higher than a 33 which is a 34.5 inch waist?! WHAT?!)
I have tried Fran Denim, which is a similar concept, but wasn’t a big fan of the cuts or fabric available there or at Barbell. It’s such a shame, as you mentioned, that both brands don’t realize that lifters come in all sorts of shapes and sizes!!
Being plus size (2-3X) and tall is a major struggle. Since the demise of the one store is could reliably shop at - Long Tall Sally (may she RIP) - it is incredibly hard to find pants and sleeves that are long enough on clothes that fit me. Lands End and LLBean type stores have plus sections and tall sections…but never Tall Plus sections! Even Universal Standard who claims to fit every body has very little in the way of tall options. None of their inseams are long enough for me. Thank goodness for the return of cropped looks. Obviously swimsuits are a nightmare, but like winter coats and rain jackets too - the sleeves are almost always too short! I live in Canada and it is cold most of the year - save my wrists! Bless Columbia for outerwear with slightly longer than average sleeve lengths. If I didn’t have two young kids, I would be spending all my free time learning how to sew so I could simply make my own clothes.
Fellow long-limbed person - I’ve bought men’s sweaters, hoodies, coats for the arm length. Depending on the *body* length, having hips is sadly incompatible with some men’s coats coats. But that’s my “secret.” Also I want to pause for a moment to ask WTF is the current craze for 27” inseams??!!! LOL NO. And aren’t straight-sized models supposed to be tall?! How do they get them to look like normal pants on the models?!
I can't even get women's plus jackets and coats to fit my belly / hips when they fit everywhere else. Men's stuff is hopeless for me (or else awkwardly oversized everywhere else if it fits on the bottom).
Ditto here from a short plus size gal. Petite section. Plus section. But no petite plus section. Boo. I should add that I have short legs and a short torso. So shirts and dresses are challenges, not just pants.
Yes! I think I'm a little longer torso shorter legs, so I usually do just fine with length on pants, but I have sent SO MANY coats and jackets back because of unacceptably short arms. The whole POINT of a coat is to cover my arms. I did a mid-weight raincoat search last year and after returning about a dozen, found the holy grail in a Carhartt jacket of all things. A stupid number of very functional pockets, long enough arms AND a liner that had sleeves with thumb hooks!
I also read reviews for people complaining that the arms are too long and then I buy that!
Oh, you are singing my song. The number of "long-sleeved" shirts I have that look like a ¾-length or elbow sleeve on me is truly ridiculous. And every single pair of my jeans is too short. What really peeves me is that this was not a problem when I wore an 18! But now that I wear a 22, well, obviously how I got fatter was that some of my height got converted to fat, and so I obviously don't need that long inseam anymore *rolls eyes*
Hi from another tall plus size!! Pants I’ve just given up on forever lol. So much agree on coats and swim! I also wanted to get some superfit hero recently and their body suit was much too short sigh
How HASN'T fashion failed me? So many ways. I am GenX, so I was a tween / teen in the 80s, and in my 20s in the 90s. So back then in person shopping was about the only option, save catalogs, but those were definitely NOT fashion forward. I joke that I dressed like a middle aged lady as a teenager and 20 something, which was not what younger me wanted.
Now that I am a middle aged lady, I'm 100% team comfortable and soft, and my work clothing requirements have shifted from business (1990s) to business casual (2000s and 10s) to just make sure you have clothes on when you're on video (2020s) AND the landscape of available plus options has exploded, so I can usually find things I like.
But oh, the effort to find those things! I think I've bought exactly one item of clothing in person in the last 5 years (save a hoodie I bought to support my anti-diet, pro-fat trainer's gym!) which was jeans at Old Navy. This was in November 2021 before they started to back down on their commitment to plus sizes so I have no idea if I could find them in person again, but at the time I had no clue what size I'd wear and my beloved pair blew out a couple days before a trip where jeans were the perfect attire, so I went in person. It was actually a good shopping experience - SO RARE - in that Old Navy is (unlike most decent places with plus sizes) not far from home, and they have jeans that are at the waist and boot cut (GenX in the house). It was helpful that I'd built comfort in my own body that I did not attach any value to the number on the label. I took two sizes back and the larger one worked perfectly for my body (the jeans miracle). It's Old Navy so one of the pairs has already worn out but the other is going strong and at least they still sell the same jeans so I was able to replace them online.
All the rest of my shopping is online, and I've come to accept the fact that the time and hassle factor (and sometimes return shipping cost) of returns is just part of the experience. I figure I have a 50 mile round trip to get to the one mall in the burbs that has more than one place that has an okay variety of plus sizes, so that gas money (and time) becomes my online returns fund.
But back to dressing like a middle aged lady as a teenager - I did get to have a nice little fashion win last weekend. I often go to a weekly Fat Swim in Albany CA, and last week I wore a brand new two piece from Torrid. Oh how teenage/20something me would've loved Torrid, but hey, who says I can't wear it at 52? I took off the dress that I'd worn over my suit and a woman who was packing up her toddler from the toddler swim class that uses the pool before the Fat Swim group was walking by. "OMG I love your suit where did you get it?" Me: Torrid. Her [blank stare]: "Torrid?" Me: Torrid. Her "Oh I'll have to look for it!"
Now I'm notoriously bad at judging peoples' sizes, but I think she might be around the smallest size available at Torrid, but more likely in straight sizes. And I had a rare moment of "Hah, I have something that a straight sized person likes that SHE can't wear" to pay back for the thousands of "gosh I wish I could find something like that in my size" moments I've had over the years. Petty? Yep. But I figure I've earned a little petty.
I’ll also add that there are so few places to get a bra sizing in person. I feel like ten years ago, if you had a change in weight or shape you could go to a store and be sized by woman who really new bra sizes. Get a few great higher end bras that work for your body. But now it’s very hard to find that in person. Weight gain or loss, pregnancy, nursing etc all change your breast size but there’s not many places to get an expert to be like “omg you’re in the wrong size here let me fix this.” This is true for average bra size so even more complicated for larger size. But larger breasts all the more need a well fitting bra not to mention everyone deserves a pretty bra if that’s what you want. I remember a bra store employee tell me that if the only comfortable bra you have is a sports bra you have the wrong size bras. That’s me right now.
I totally agree. Personally victimized by a snooty Dillard's lady. If you're in Houston I have a recommendation for a safe place to try.
I feel like the variability of clothing across brands and even within brands across styles and even colors is messing with my ability to accurately assess what my body looks like. I wear a size 12 in Universal Standard jeans (of which I have several cuts and washes because I love them all so much), but a lot of other 12s don’t fit. In the stores we have in my town, like Old Navy and Maurice’s, I’m a 16 or maybe even an 18; at Maurice’s I tried on a pair of shorts in a 16 and it would not even button. I’ve been swimming in a size 10 Lands End bathing suit lately, which works great, but when I decided to buy a couple more because I’m swimming 4 days a week, the black and stripes one fit the same as my current one, while the navy one was uncomfortably tight. Same size, same style, different color.
So I’m over here going, what size am I actually? Sometimes I wear a medium shirt and other times the medium is so tight I need a large or extra large. All of it is fine, it just makes me look at my body and think, I must just not understand what my body is.
It’s not your body. It’s the clothes.
When I was younger, my mom worked in several sewing factories for women’s apparel. A few pieces of info have been very useful to me as I try to clothe my body. 1 - they cut fabric for pattern pieces in a big stack, a lot of pieces at a time. So not all the pieces of one size end up being exactly the same. So even in one size the actual pieces of fabric are not identical, which explains why two garments that are labeled the same size may fit differently. 2 - each worker would be required to make a certain number of each size of a garment. If they ended up with too many mediums and not enough larges, often people would just relabel a few mediums as larges. So sometimes when you’re picking out a size, it may not even be the size you think it is. Yay—even more levels of complexity when we’re just trying to find clothes to wear.
Oh my god this is FASCINATING and explains so much. Thank your mom for us!
This makes so much sense, as I finally found the elusive pair of jeans that fit me well, so I ordered them in another color/wash, same exact size and cut as the first pair. I could barely get them over my thighs and couldn't button them! Then I got charged for the return >:(
This is why I wish more size charts had garment measurements! It’s so frustrating.
I wish they had accurate measurements that were actually true for every color of the same item.
YES. I have two pairs of the same Old Navy jeans, ones black, ones dark wash. The darkwash fits like it's one size smaller AND the inseam is about two inches longer. What is even happening?
Oh yes, that’s so irritating. Especially when you can tell that the different colors are a slightly different fabric. It will not behave the same! Which means it will fit differently! Ugh
Yes, the impossibility of sizing is just dumb.
Can we also talk about uniforms / team clothing? Not exactly fashion but a source of so much clothing angst in my life.
Childhood - I recall doing okay in finding uniforms that fit for my sports leagues, probably because they covered a wide range of ages, and so I could always get clothes sized for older kids if necessary. But by high school it all became a minefield.
Marching band uniforms: we had a room full of the uniforms, and at the beginning of the season there was the (then humiliating) try on days where we'd all work our way through the racks and see if we could find something close that fit, then there were parent volunteers who would help with basic alterations to get it closer if needed. One of the (many) reasons I quit before junior year was that I didn't want to go through that again as I knew I'd gained weight since the year before.
Symphonic band clothes: We had to provide our own. White long-sleeved blouse, full length black skirt. The blouses were findable (though I got a lot of guff from my mom if I needed a new one because I'd gained weight). But finding a skirt that fit - in the 80s - was a whole thing, and usually involved griping about the cost from my mom.
Event shirts: Once in my 20s I represented my company at a conference exhibit hall. I think we provided sizes in advance so at least they bought a size that I could wear but ugh, unisex polo shirts really don't do most fat bodies any favors.
Event swag: How many times have I gone to get my "free" t-shirt to find they only have up to XL? Or maybe they even have "women's" cuts but they're all babydoll style where the largest size is an XL that isn't close to the same size as an XL in a unisex style (which wouldn't fit me anyway).
And then one "event shirt" win - I used to go to an event every year. The organizers know me. I'm typically the biggest woman there. They'd have women's relaxed style and unisex shirts; I'd usually get a unisex 2X. One year, before I'd even had a chance to check in, one of the event staff came over to me and handed me a t-shirt that had a note attached with my name on it. He said "Rhonda said to make sure you got this." I opened it up and it was a women's 2XL! Rhonda, I should add, is a petite straight-sized woman, but she (who was the one ordering the shirts) made a point to 1) order a shirt that would fit me and be cut for a woman's body and 2) make sure it got set aside for me. I felt very seen!
Shared trauma with choir dresses. Lile. Actual tears every time
Anthropologie's plus line has a mind of it's own when it comes to size. I love the pieces I own, but there is no rhyme or reason with the size charts, especially once you get out of 1X-2X-3X and into numeric sizes. And since the clothes typically aren't in the stores, it's all guesswork on what will fit.
With that said, I'll add a shout out to a brand that I wouldn't go near in its' heyday: Abercrombie and Fitch. Whoever is in charge there now is making steps toward being more size inclusive and while they have some distance to go on that, their current offerings are a good option for small-mid fat folks. Decent quality as well.
I feel like I have so many photos on my phone that are just hilarious sizing fails. Like this dress from old navy recently that looked SO cute in the ad, but tied at the boobs, and like 1/10th of my boobs fit in them. Or anything with a cutout on the side - why don't they look at actual bodies when placing the cutout!
Also, although most times I can put things on and crack up at how silly they look on me, I want to name how devastating this can be sometimes. I cried the other day because my local athleta pulled plus sizes from their stores, and along with pulling the sizes, pulled the fat mannequins.
Grr. I have never even tried to buy Athleta plus in store because I just assumed they didn't have them (or have much). I kinda wish I didn't like their stuff so much because of the wishy washy commitment to plus, but I figure my steadfast refusal to buy anything full price is a small form of protest.
Haha YES on refusing to buy things full price. They did a big roll out of plus in every store plus larger mannequins, and quietly pulled it (like old navy 🙃). Its so frustrating
REI has been my stealth Athleta plus clearance retailer. I don't think REI really made a big deal when they started offering some plus sizes (going along with the brands they sell finally starting to offer some) so they seem to sometimes end up with end of season surplus inventory.
I was looking for more of a type of Athleta legging I loved and Google took me to REI and they were on sale there. Since there's an REI store the next town over, returns are easy for me if needed.
My chest is very large in comparison to my waist and hip measurements. I try to use the measurement charts but it usually puts me at 3 different sizes for each body part. It is so frustrating but I am straight sized, and I really appreciate you opening my eyes to how much thin privilege I have despite this struggle. I am also postpartum and navigating my new/unfamiliar body shape that none of my clothes fit, and reading about your experience working with a stylist has me reflecting on my own clothing style. I can’t even identify it! For so long I’ve just bought shirts that fit my chest and just drape like a sack on the rest of my body - I was so conditioned to never try to have anything show the shape of my stomach. I’m not sure where my clothing style journey will go from here, but I appreciate your newsletter for making me start thinking about it (and for so many other reasons!).
Postpartum dressing is a whole thing. I'm still holding on to a lot of clothes from before having a baby that just don't fit my current body or lifestyle. I don't know why I'm holding on to them, maybe just because I know my body isn't done changing and maybe I'll want go wear them again? But in my experience no one talks enough about the potentially permanent body changes after being pregnant.
I agree - it really shocked me, especially after my second pregnancy. No one talks about it or at least it’s drowned out by the whole “bouncing back” narrative. I do the same thing with holding on to clothes, although reading things like this newsletter has made me more brave in slowing donating clothes that are too tight. They might fit again one day, but I am done trying to purposely fit into them and therefore don’t want them taking up space in my closet (or brain) anymore.